See how conference sketchnotes can enhance a conference on the example of the prestigious conference ABSL Summit held in Cracow in June 2024. In this entry you can see some videos showcasing the creation of conference sketchnotes and the graphics themselves. This is a trully original and inspiring visual record of any conference!
ABSL Summit is an annual event organized by the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL), bringing together worldwide representatives and experts from the business services sector. It is one of the most significant events of its kind in Europe and certainly the largest in Poland.
This year’s conference theme was “Transform to Thrive” and was all about the developement and the future trends.
The guest and speaker lineup this year was impressive. Among the most notable names were:
- Jacinda Ardern – Prime Minister of New Zealand in the years from 2017 to 2023.
- Jacek Tomczak – Deputy Minister of Development and Technology in Poland
- David V. Gioe – Expert in intelligence, defense, strategy, and international affairs.
- Jacek Siewiera – Head of the National Security Bureau in Poland
- Leszek Balcerowicz – Former President of the National Bank of Poland and former Minister of Finance in Poland.
As in previous years, such as ABSL Summit 2023 and ABSL Summit 2022, I had the pleasure of participating in this unique event, creating conference sketchnotes from speeches and panel discussions. This process, known as graphic recording, involves these very important skills: carefully listening to the content, syntesising it and then creating sketchnotes with the summary of the conference.
Graphic Recording is the process where, by listening to and observing the conference event, I create sketchnotes with the content of each speech. This visual version of notes illustrates the content and course of lectures or debates, resulting in engaging graphics which amaze the audience. The entire process happens in real time: the graphics are created live during the presentation and then presented on a large conference screen, showing the key information adorned with highlights, icons, drawings, and other visual language elements.
How did the graphic recording look at this year’s ABSL Summit?
This year’s event agenda was very packed as the guests were both distinguished and highly interesting. Here are some of the most fascinating elements of the conference.
Day 0: In the exclusive ABSL Executive Club, there was an excellent lecture by Dr. Jacek Bartosiak, founder of Strategy&Future, who discussed the perspectives and potential scenarios for global development from a macroeconomic standpoint and their impact on the business services sector.
Following the lecture, a roundtable discussion was held as part of the ABSL Executive Club, where participants responded to the earlier lecture. Both parts of this presentation were captured as a graphic and presented at the end of each part on the big screen.
Below, you can see both these graphics and a video of the graphic recording process for Dr. Bartosiak’s lecture.
The official opening of ABSL Summit 2024 took place the following day, on June 4th
The opening speech was delivered by David V. Gioe, a professor of Intelligence and International Security at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. His lecture focused on international security issues and the role Poland plays in it.
The first panel discussion, titled “Clash of the Titans: Loud and Proud. Poland at the Forefront of FDI”, focused on foreign direct investments (FDI) in Poland. The discussion covered the significance of these investments on a global scale, considering both business and international security contexts.
The early afternoon featured a lecture by a journalist Małgorzata Mielcarek, followed by a debate on an imposter syndrome. This exclusive event, titled “Roundtable with Female Leaders: Fighting the Imposter Syndrome,” delved into a topic that often affects women but has finally been talked about.
The speaker, Małgorzata Mielcarek, addressed the imposter syndrome in the context of her publication, the 2023 book “You are an imposter. The syndrome that destroys you” (Polish version “Jesteś oszustką. Syndrom, który Cię niszczy”
What is imposter syndrome? Generally speaking, imposter syndrome involves constantly doubting one’s own abilities and feeling inadequate. It’s not just low self-esteem but a genuine denial of the facts that indicate a person’s high capabilities.
These issues were also discussed during the subsequent panel discussion at the Roundtable with Female Leaders, where the value of female solidarity and sisterly power was highlighted.
That same day, as part of creating conference sketchnotes, I had the opportunity to be part of an inspiring discussion titled “Inspiration: Innovation Odyssey. At the Intersection of People, Process, Technology” This session focused on the history of the company Roche, including its presence in Poland. The speakers discussed the success of the Polish IT department and the overall achievements of the company on a global scale.
The next day of presentations, June 5th, was filled with intriguing content and new conference graphics.
The day began with a lecture by Professor Andrzej Dragan, a distinguished Polish physicist who serves as a professor at the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw and a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore. Interestingly, Professor Dragan is also involved in the arts, particularly film and photography. In my opinion, he was an excellent and highly fascinating choice of speaker, inspiring and encouraging reflections on the future.
Professor Dragan addressed a particularly hot topic in today’s world: artificial intelligence. He discussed how AI models learn using databases, but posed the question of whether and what they can create without relying on data. Do they have cognitive abilities? One of the key takeaways from his lecture was his assertion that today’s generative AI is at the level of a seven-year-old child. What, then, will it be capable of in a few or several years?
Following that was a Special Presentation – an inspiring speech by Jacinda Ardern. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand politician who served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023, delivered an inspiring speech. Her tenure included the challenging times of the Covid pandemic.
In her speech, Ardern posed the question of what it truly means to be a leader and whether it is possible to be a compassionate leader in today’s world. She spoke from both the perspective of a government leader and an active professional woman. In 2023, Ardern made the controversial decision to resign from her position, stating that her political career was consuming so much of her time that her family life was suffering. She also addressed this topic during her presentation, responding to intriguing and pointed questions from the well-known television presenter, Piotr Kraśko.
Following Jacinda Ardern’s speech, the popular and well-known Oxford Debate took place, this time addressing the topic: “True leaders are born, not made”. Half of the participants supported one side of the argument, while the other half took the opposing view. They debated whether true leadership is an innate quality or something that can be learned. If leadership can indeed be learned, they discussed how to achieve this and whether such an investment makes sense in the broader perspective.
The entire event concluded with a final debate addressing leadership, but this time from a slightly different perspective: “Fail, Stand Up, Repeat. The Price of Success”. This discussion focused on the challenges leaders face, the necessity of taking risks, enduring failures, and the continuous need for personal and professional growth.
Participants in this discussion included: Leszek Balcerowicz, Ana Brichall, Ryszard Petru, Pete Phillips, Paul Raddon. The discussion was moderated by Jarosław Kuźniar.
It was wonderful to once again participate in this inspiring event, the meeting of business sector leaders in Poland. The graphics I created for the conference added an extra layer of engagement and often elicited reflection or admiration from the participants.
I highly recommend this form of conference enhancement. Conference graphics add a unique touch to the event, making the content more memorable and frequently recalled by attendees.